Cops: Stamford dealers hid heroin in daughter's Hello Kitty bag

Maggie Gordon

Published 10:33 pm, Wednesday, July 24, 2013

STAMFORD -- Police charged a city couple with dealing heroin Tuesday after finding 72 envelopes of the drug in their 4-year-old daughter's Hello Kitty backpack, police said. It was one of two heroin-distribution arrests police made Tuesday.

"We've seen a large resurgence of heroin use in town, and that's been illustrated by the number of arrests we've been making," Police Capt. Richard Conklin said Wednesday morning.

The first of Tuesday's arrests occurred at 2:36 p.m., when Stamford's Narcotics and Organized Crime Unit charged Miguel Angel Vazquez, 43, of 50 Alden St., and his partner, Justine Martinez Fernandez-Vazquez, 27, of 141 Franklin St., each with possession of narcotics, sale of certain illegal drugs, carrying a dangerous weapon, risk of injury to a child, conspiracy to commit possession of narcotics, conspiracy to commit possession of narcotics with intent to sell and conspiracy to commit possession of a dangerous weapon.

While Vazquez was held on a $20,000 bond, Fernandez-Vazquez was released on a promise to appear in court Aug. 6.

"Our Narcotics and Organized Crime officers got word that a couple were going down to New York City to purchase heroin and that they would be returning with the heroin for sale here in our community in Stamford," Conklin said.

Police waited in the Franklin Street area and stopped the couple as they exited their vehicle with their 4-year-old daughter.

Police searched the child's Hello Kitty backpack, where Conklin said they found 72 envelopes of heroin, which he said would retail for $20 apiece and a total of $1,440. They also seized $323 in cash, and found a pair of brass knuckles.

The heroin envelopes were all marked "914," which may be a reference to the place where the heroin is from, Conklin said.

"That's the pattern with heroin," he said. "It's usually got some sort of phrase or a catchy thing stamped on it, and that's the brand."

In the second arrest, which occurred Tuesday night, Conklin said police received information about someone selling heroin near Latham Park in the city's downtown district.

When police arrived at that location, they observed Robert Baxter Bracey, 47, of 79 Orchard St., who police allege was carrying 83 envelopes of heroin marked "Awesome" and "Plan B," and $932 in cash.

After a foot-pursuit, police arrested and charged Bracey with possession of narcotics, sale of certain illegal drugs and interfering with an officer.

The arrests come less than a week after police arrested three people for allegedly possessing 350 packages of "True Religion" heroin in the trunk of a car near Sacred Heart Church.

"We've been seeing this for a couple of months, but it really seems like it's starting to grow now," Conklin said of the popularity of heroin in the city.